Moving to France
by vicstar2
Summary: Eloise and her mother are moving to France. Nanny has to make a choice between her charge Eloise, and Sir Wilkes...
1. Chapter 1

Nanny & Wilkes

Disclaimer: Don't own anything. Based on Disney's Eloise & Eloise at the Plaza and Kay Thompson's Eloise books

Thank you very much to my beta reader! :-)

**Rating: T **

*****

Wilkes was unlocking his apartment door on the sixteenth floor at the Plaza Hotel when Eloise came running down the passage. He stepped aside to prevent her from colliding into him at full speed. He greeted her with a friendly, "Good morning, Eloise. Have you finished your morning rounds?"

Eloise came to a halt next to Wilkes. She gave him a beaming smile. "Good morning, Sir Wilkes. Yes, and I have wonderful news! Maman told me yesterday. We are moving to France."

Sir Wilkes looked at Eloise in total astonishment. "Are you moving out of the Plaza?"

"Oh yes, in three weeks' time."

"In three weeks' time?"

"Isn't it absolutely marvelous? You don't look pleased at all. What's the matter, Sir Wilkes, aren't you excited? We are going to live in Paris in a huge apartment, and Maman said I can decorate my room any way I want. It's got to be pink!"

"Err, of course. I'm very happy for you, Eloise. What about Nanny?"

"What do you mean, what about Nanny?"

"Is she going with you?"

"Of course Nanny is coming with us. She cannot stay alone at the Plaza. I absolutely can not live without Nanny. She's my mostly companion, you know."

"Yes, you mentioned that."

"Tata, Sir Wilkes," Eloise shouted as she skipped merrily to her apartment door.

Wilkes' whole body felt numb. He could scarcely hold on to the newspaper and keys in his hands and once inside his apartment, he collapsed on his couch, forgetting to close his door. 'Did Nanny really want to move to France?'

He heard Eloise's frenzied knocking on their apartment door across the passage and Nanny's exasperated response from inside, "Aoww, Eloise,… I'm comin'!" He didn't even want to imagine how it would be if he couldn't hear her voice every day. There was a melodious huskiness to her voice that was so unique to her. How he loved her accent and her particular choice of words!

All his dreams for Nanny seemed to have been crushed within moments. He wanted to court her properly, as she deserved to be courted. He wanted to spend as much time with her as possible. He wanted to take her to dinner and to the theatre. He wanted to buy her flowers and he wanted to walk with her in Central Park. Most of all, he wanted to tell her how much he loved her, and he wanted to ask her to become his wife.

Although they had never expressed their love in words, he was so sure that Nanny felt the same way about him. In his mind's eye, he saw the tenderness in Nanny's eyes and her lovely smile as she looked at him. They had shared so many wonderful moments. Wilkes closed his eyes as he remembered how wonderful it had felt to hold her in his arms when they had danced with each other at the Debutante Ball. On Christmas Eve, she had surprised him by kissing him on the cheek. Wilkes touched his cheek, as if he could still feel her lips against his skin.

He had to talk to Nanny and even to Kay if necessary, but this simply wouldn't do. He simply could not, and would not, lose her. He would do whatever it took, but he simply could not allow her to disappear from his life.

****

After a whole day of helping Eloise packing her toys and marking the boxes, Nanny felt she needed fresh air. She had listened to Eloise's and Kay's lively chatter throughout the day and had tried her best to remain cheerful for their sake. Late in the afternoon, with the excuse to take Eloise's little dog, Weenie, out for his daily walk, Nanny finally got the chance to escape from the apartment.

By this time, the news had spread amongst the hotel staff that Nanny and Eloise were moving to France. They all felt a little sad that two of their favorite tenants were leaving the Plaza. Although Eloise had often succeeded in getting herself into trouble, the staff was very fond of her, and everybody had great affection for Nanny. Many of them had noticed that Nanny and Sir Wilkes really enjoyed each other's company and had speculated about a possible romance between the two. Max, the elevator operator had often kept the door open for Nanny when Sir Wilkes was in the elevator, or closed it rather quickly so that they could be alone (except for himself, of course). He understood the art of being almost invisible by turning his back towards the people in the elevator even though he noticed absolutely everything. It was therefore no surprise when Max noticed that Nanny was not quite her usual gracious self when she stepped into the elevator, with Weenie firmly stuck under her arm. She scarcely saw Max, as if she was totally lost in thought. He wondered if Sir Wilkes had anything to do with Nanny's current state of mind, but as usual, he turned towards the door and pressed the button for the ground floor, giving Nanny her privacy. Charlie, the doorman, was the second to notice that Nanny was not quite herself. She walked rawther quickly away from the Plaza in the direction of Central Park.

Nanny found her favorite bench in the park, put Weenie down on the pavement and sat down. She watched as the little dog sniffed around in the area close to her. Not having to pretend anymore, her eyes filled with tears. Kay's announcement that they were moving to France had come rawther unexpectedly and most certainly it was untimely. She felt torn between her loyalty and love for Kay and Eloise, and her love for Wilkes. Cross with herself for not being able to control her emotions, Nanny took out a handkerchief from her handbag and wiped her eyes and cheeks.

Nanny had fallen deeply in love. Romance was not something that she had been consciously looking for, but from the first time she had laid eyes on Sir Wilkes, she had known that he was special, that he had touched her heart. At first she had thought a relationship between herself and Wilkes could not succeed because Wilkes was of noble birth. It was a lesson she had learned the first time she had fallen in love, but as Wilkes' visits became more frequent, his station in life became less and less important.

Involuntarily, Nanny's thoughts turned to John Covington, her first love. His family had been against their relationship from the beginning. He had promised her that he didn't care what his family said and that he would marry her regardless of his family's standing. In the end, however, he had succumbed to his family's wishes and had broken off their engagement to marry a woman of nobility. At the time, Nanny had felt used and humiliated. But she had picked herself up and had gone on with her life as best she could.

She had started to work for Kay's mother shortly after that, and her life had changed in so many ways. Kay's mother had made her part of their lives and they had always regarded her as a member of the family. Nanny had looked after Kay as if she was her own daughter and later, when Kay had her own little girl, Nanny had started to look after Eloise. The arrangement suited everybody. Kay worked in the fashion industry and needed to travel extensively. As a result, Nanny had traveled throughout the world and had lived in many wonderful places. There had never been any question that Nanny would go with Kay and Eloise to any place on earth. Until now…

Nanny became aware of Weenie's excited howling, and he started running down the pavement. She was just about to run after the dog and call him back when Weenie stopped and wagged his tail frantically. It was Wilkes, and he was walking determinately in her direction.

"Nanny, here you are. Charlie told me I might find you here."

"Willy!" Nanny sat up straight, making the best effort to regain her self-control.

Wilkes noticed the redness in Nanny's eyes and he had to fight the urge to take her into his arms and kiss away all the unhappiness that was expressed in her face. At the same time, her sadness gave him hope. Could it be that Nanny didn't want to go, that she would rather stay here in New York, with him? Wilkes' heart lurched with the thought. "May I sit with you for a while?"

"Yes, please do." Nanny looked up at him, trying her best to smile.

Wilkes sat down next to Nanny. The longing to be with her, that he had felt constantly these past few days, was stilled for the moment. "I heard from Eloise that you were moving to France."

"Yes." Nanny bit her lower lip and looked away. She couldn't trust herself to look at him. The thickness in her throat threatened to overwhelm her and she struggled to fight back the tears.

Wilkes placed his hand against her cheek, and with his thumb under her chin, he turned her face towards him, forcing her to look at him. "The last thing that I wanted to do was to make this more difficult for you, but time is not on our side, and I have to tell you what is in my heart. But first, I want to know. Do you really want to go?"

Nanny looked down at her hands. "Yes… oh, I don't know. I just know that I will break Eloise's heart if I don't go. Her mother is not always there for her and she, well, she needs me."

Wilkes took both of Nanny's hands in his and pressed softly. He realized that there was no time for games. If there was to be any chance for the two of them, he had to tell her how he felt at that very moment. "Nanny, I need you, too. I love you, and I want to marry you."

Nanny's eyes flew up to Wilkes'. If circumstances were different, she would have grabbed him around the neck to express her utmost joy at the news, but at the moment Nanny could only stare at him, wordless, as if in shock.

Wilkes brought her hands to his lips and kissed them softly. In an unsteady husky voice, she managed to say, "I love you too, so, so, so much." She pulled her hands from Wilkes' grip, bent forward and put her face in her hands. "Oh, what am I going to do?"

"Nanny, all I want you to do is to think about us, about our future. I understand how difficult this must be for you, but will you do that?" Wilkes took away Nanny's hands from her face, and pulled her towards him. Oblivious of the passersby, he kissed her softly, giving her as much comfort as he possibly could. As they broke the kiss and Wilkes pulled Nanny against him, a feeling of calmness and contentment washed over Nanny. There was only one place where she could possibly belong, but before making any commitments, she first had to speak to Kay and Eloise.

Wilkes pulled Nanny from the bench and she gathered Weenie under her arm. Wilkes looked in her eyes and he could see that she was feeling better. A little of the old sparkle was back and she seemed to have regained her composure. He felt proud when she took his arm and they strolled back to the Plaza. His Nanny had finally admitted that she loved him, and he could only hope that she would find it in her heart to make the correct decision.

_tbc_


	2. Chapter 2

Late that night Nanny could hear heart wrenching sobs coming from Eloise's room. She felt dreadful to have been the cause of Eloise's misery. When she and Wilkes came back from Central Park she had decided to tackle the issue head on. After dinner, she had told Kay and Eloise of her decision. She had suspected that the news would be very difficult for Eloise to accept and the little girl's reaction had come as no surprise. Her own heart was breaking at the thought of living a life without seeing and caring for Eloise every day. She understood so well that she had been Eloise's anchor throughout the first six years of her life, and in many ways, she was more of a mother to Eloise than Kay.

When Eloise's crying didn't stop, Nanny put on her slippers and gown and went to Eloise's room. She sat next to Eloise on the bed and pulled her into her arms. "Come on, pet, don't cry so much, my love." She smoothed away the hair from Eloise's forehead and placed a kiss on her hair.

"It's not fair. Sir Wilkes is taking you away from me. I'll be all alone." Eloise managed to get out between sobs.

"Now, now, now, Eloise, I will never allow that to 'appen. Sir Wilkes knows how much I love you. You will always be my little girl." Nanny placed her hand over her heart for a moment. "You'll be right 'ere, in my heart. You can call me everyday and you can come and visit me whenever you want."

"It's not the same, Nanny. You won't be with me all the time." Eloise sniveled.

"I know, pet. But things will be different once you start attending that fancy new school of yours. You will have many new friends and you will have ever so much to do! Your mother will be there much, much, much, more, and you will still have Skipperdee and Weenie."

Eloise nodded a little hesitantly. "How do you know I'll make friends, Nanny? What if they don't like me at all?"

"Aaoww, Eloise, 'course they will! I know how easy it is for you to make friends. You have so many friends 'ere at the Plaza. There is Bill and Rachel and Patrice and…"

"But they are all grown-ups, Nanny!"

"Well, what about the Prince of Kushin's son? Remember how quickly you became friends with Leon? There will be lots of children of your own age and just think how much fun you'll 'ave. Suppose I come with you to France for a week or two until you're settled. Will that help?"

"Will you really, Nanny?"

"'Course I will."

"Will you and Sir Wilkes come and visit us in France many, many times?"

"Nothing will keep us away. I promise."

"Pinky promise?"

Holding out her hand, they linked little fingers and Nanny said, "I pinky promise, promise, promise!" Then she placed another kiss on Eloise's head. "You must try to sleep now, love. We still 'ave lots of packing to do and your mother wants to go shopping tomorrow."

"Okay, Nanny. I love you!"

"I love you too, pet!"

****

Early the next morning, Bill delivered a letter from Wilkes to Nanny. Nanny smiled when the letter started with 'My dearest Nanny'. In the letter, he apologized profusely for having to go away at this critical time. A fire had broken out at an industrial plant owned by his family in Brazil. He explained that the plant was in a remote area but that he would do his best to stay in contact. He promised to be back as soon as possible. Nanny was disappointed but thought that in a way it was a good thing. Now she could spend as much time as possible with Kay and Eloise.

****

Almost two weeks later, Wilkes got back from Brazil, feeling exhausted. For close to five hours now, he had been lying on his bed. Something didn't feel right and he couldn't sleep. Then it hit him. There had been no doors slamming, no running, no sticks scraped against the walls, no voices, just silence. The silence on the sixteenth floor was disturbing, to say the least. He couldn't stand it and walked towards apartment door 1627. He knocked but was only greeted by more silence.

He simply had to find out where Nanny was. Down in the foyer, he saw Mr. Salomone and walked up to him.

Mr. Salomone gave him a broad smile. "Sir Wilkes. What an honor, as always. How can I be of service to you?"

"I was wondering if you could perhaps give me an indication of Nanny's whereabouts?

"Nanny left for France two days ago with Miss Wells and Eloise. Miss Wells decided to leave for France two days earlier than planned."

"Nanny left with them?" Wilkes was shocked into a state of stupor. He hadn't expected this at all. He had felt so sure that she would stay, especially after Nanny had confessed that she loved him.

"Yes indeed, she did. But she… "

At that moment Mrs. Daniels' sister, Mrs. Peters, interrupted the conversation rudely. "Mr. Salomone, my suite is not satisfactory at all. The room temperature is too cold. I insist that you do something about the air conditioning immediately."

"Of course, Mrs. Peters. The Plaza prides itself on excellent service to all its guests. I will see to it immediately." With that, Mr. Salomone turned away and left a stunned Wilkes behind. Wilkes could hear Mr. Salomone explaining the importance of each of the five stars allocated to the Plaza to Mrs. Peters as they walked to the elevator.

When he could force himself to move again, Wilkes walked towards the counter. "Mrs. Thompson, do you perhaps have a forwarding address or contact information for Miss Wells and Nanny?"

"Of course, Sir Wilkes! Let me write it down for you." She scribbled the information on a piece of paper and handed it over.

He took it, thanking her profusely, as if she had just handed him a life-line. He turned around absorbed in his own thoughts.

"Oh, Sir Wilkes! Nanny left a note…" Miss Thompson called after Wilkes, but he didn't hear anything anymore, and was already halfway across the foyer walking hastily towards the elevator. Another customer was already demanding Miss Thompson's attention and she decided she would send Bill up later with Nanny's note to Sir Wilkes.

Wilkes felt rejected and frustrated. He felt extremely sad that he hadn't been able to contact Nanny during his stay in Brazil, as all forms of communications had been cut off due to the fire and the nearest town was miles away. He had hoped to at least talk to Nanny again before she made her final decision, only to find out now that he was too late. Still, he realized he couldn't give up so easily. He had to fight for her. Wilkes could think of one thing only. He had to talk to her, face to face. Maybe he could try once more to persuade her to become his wife.

****

In the new apartment in France, Nanny was unpacking Eloise's clothes. Her back was sore and stiff from all the bending and she came up slowly, her hand in her side. She looked around at the spacious modern apartment. She definitely preferred the coziness of the Plaza and was glad that she would be returning to New York in a few days time.

Nanny frowned when she heard the doorbell ring. Kay and Eloise had gone to Eloise's new school to register Eloise, and Kay had said that she suspected that they would be gone for most of the day. They would be shown around the school grounds and be informed of all subjects and other school activities. All concerns that they might have regarding the school would also be discussed with them and Nanny could just imagine that Eloise will have a million questions to ask.

She opened the door. "I didn't expect to see you back so s… Willy!" Nanny shrieked with delight. She threw her arms around his neck. "I didn't expect to see you here! It is so good, good, good to see you!"

He couldn't help but press her as close to him as he possibly could. He had missed her so much. The joy flowing from her body made him feel quite dizzy. Wilkes moved a little back to look at her face. Her blue eyes were sparkling and her expression was tender and full of love. At that moment she was so incredibly beautiful. He couldn't help himself. He needed to kiss her, to feel her mouth against his. He took her face in his hands and brought her closer.

"Oh Nanny, I love you!" he said the moment before touching her lips. It was a lingering kiss, as if he couldn't bear to let her go from his embrace. Nanny responded gloriously to his kiss, giving herself freely to him.

After a long time, Nanny moved away from Wilkes. "Please come in, we cannot stand 'ere in the passage all the time," Nanny laughed and pulled Wilkes into the apartment. "Can I make you some tea? We are still unpacking, you see."

Wilkes couldn't hold back any more. He felt mystified and surprised at Nanny's reaction. She seemed so glad to see him, and he could see and feel how much she loved him. It was so obviously expressed in her eyes. Yet, the fact that she moved to France rather than choosing to stay with him didn't seem to matter to her at all. She had to know how much her decision had hurt him. "Nanny, please, can we just talk first? Come and sit with me for a moment."

Nanny looked taken aback at his expression, not quite understanding what Wilkes was so concerned about. They sat next to each other on the couch and Willy took her hands in his, pressing them hard, almost painfully.

"Willy, what is it, did something happen?"

"I have to know. Is there no chance for us at all, Nanny?"

Nanny's eyes were suddenly very big as she looked in bewilderment at Wilkes. "What do you mean, Willy? I don't understand."

Wilkes looked at Nanny in confusion. "I thought we had a chance together, but when I arrived home from Brazil, I was told that you had moved to France."

"Willy… no, no, no!"

"No?"

"I didn't move to France. I just came for a while to help Eloise to settle in. It was very hard for her when I told her I wasn't moving with them. She is already adjusting and once she's used to 'er new environment, she should be all right."

"Does that mean that you…?"

"Yes, there was only ever one choice. I want to spend my life with you."

"Oh, Nanny! Those are the most beautiful words I have ever heard!" Once again Wilkes took Nanny in his arms, and this time both of them drowned in the wonder and joy of being in each other's arms.

It was considerably later when Nanny tried to figure out the misunderstanding. "Willy, I left a note with Miss Thompson explaining it all. About my decision and that I would be back at the Plaza soon. Didn't you get it at all?"

Willy grinned a little sheepishly, thinking back. "I'm afraid I didn't give Miss Thompson much time to hand over a note. I was so stunned at the thought of losing you that all I could think of was to get on the first airplane to France to see if I couldn't perhaps change your mind."

"Did you really get on the first plane just for me? Oh, my stars, stars, stars."

"Just for you, Nanny. I really don't think I can live my life without you any longer."

"You don't 'ave to. Kay was kind enough to let me keep the apartment at the Plaza for the time being."

"I don't see any reason why Kay should keep her apartment in the Plaza any longer," Wilkes said with a naughty smile.

"Oh, Willy!"

****

A few days later, Eloise's friend Bill grabbed his fiancée Rachel Peabody, and swirled her around after he had read a telegram from Eloise.

"Bill, what is it?" Rachel laughed at Bill's elation and total silliness.

"Read it!" He pressed the telegram in Rachel's hand and ran out to spread the news.

Rachel shook her head and read the telegram. 'Nanny and Sir Wilkes got married yesterday. Expect them at the Plaza in two days. Please arrange party. Eloise.'

THE END


End file.
